by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Speaking publicly for the first time since Aaron Hernandez was linked to a homicide investigation that resulted in murder charges, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick expressed sadness, shock and disappointment Wednesday on the eve of training camp.

Belichick spoke for more than 20 minutes, opening by reading a prepared statement before taking questions.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and I extend my sympathy with everyone who's been impacted," Belichick said in a packed news conference at Gillette Stadium. "A young man lost his life and his family suffered a tragic loss and there's no way to understand that.

"Having someone involved in your organization that's involved in a murder investigation is a terrible thing," Belichick said. "After consultation with ownership, we acted swiftly and decisively. Robert (Kraft) and his family and I since I got here in 2000 have always emphasized the need for our team and players and organization to represent the community in the right way both on and off the field. We've worked very hard together over the past 14 years to put together a winning team that's a pillar in the community. I agree 100% with the comments Robert's already made on the situation."

Belichick was out of the country as the case surrounding Hernandez began to unfold.

"I, like other members of the organization, was shocked," he said.

Hernandez, a 2010 fourth-round pick, was released by the Patriots hours after being charged June 26 in the execution-style death of Odin Lloyd.

Belichick said he agreed with Kraft's contention recently that the team felt "duped" by Hernandez, who last year was signed to a $40 million million contract.

The coach said that ultimately he is responsible for the personnel decisions, and cited the team's track record in taking chances on players who have had issues despite this "terrible experience."

"As coach of the team, I'm primarily responsible for the people that we bring into the football operations," said Belichick, who appeared hurt by the events that have transpired around Hernandez.

"Our players are generally highly motivated and gifted athletes. They come from very different backgrounds. They've met many challenges along the way. They've done things to get here. Sometimes they've made bad or immature decisions. We try to look at every situation on a case-by-case basis and do what's best for the football team and the franchise. Most of those decisions have worked out. Some don't."

Mindful of the obvious second-guessing with Hernandez, Belichick said, "Not a good one on that record."

Belichick, who became New England's coach in 2000, maintained that the core components of the Patriots philosophy for evaluating players won't be radically altered. Instead, he said that he expects tweaks but was unclear in explaining whether the team is looking to incorporate more extensive psychological profiling.

"The process is the same as it has been for the past 14 years," he said. "We will continue to try to look at ourselves in the mirror and see where we can do a better job and where we improve the process, but I think the fundamentals of the process will remain the same. I'm proud of the hundreds of players who have come through this organization."

Belichick refused to answer specific questions relating to the charges the former Pro Bowl tight end faces, maintaining that he won't comment on an active investigation. He indicated, however, that the organization was not aware of two other cases that Hernandez is also linked to - a double homicide in Boston in 2012 and a February shooting in Florida.

Belichick also would not comment, however, on the team's decision to stick with cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was arrested this month on suspicion of DUI and was drafted in 2012 despite an arrest for assaulting a police officer.

"We look at every player's history from the moment we start discussing it going back to his family, where he grew up, what his lifestyle was like, high school, college experiences. We evaluate his performance, his intelligence, his work ethic, his motivation, his maturity, his improvement and try to project that into our organization on a going forward basis," Belichick said.

"It combines a player's personal history but also has to project what we think and how we think he will be in our environment. Obviously this process is far from perfect but it's one that we've used from 2000 until today. Unfortunately this recent situation with the charges that are involved is not a good one on that record."

Belichick acknowledged that he has had extensive conversations with family and friends while trying to get a grasp on the Hernandez case.

"It goes way beyond football issues," he said. "There's no question about that."